Thinking About Going Back to School, But

[_Catholicism]

I don’t know if it would be right for me to do so. I’ve had a number of past problems about going back to school that’s already been resolved, but right now what is getting me is the whole mandatory health fee that I have to pay. It just doesn’t feel right for me knowing that I will have to pay for things that I don’t support and should not support in order to go back to school. I remember listening to Patrick Madrid talk about a similar situation concerning Planned Parenthood and how he said that people shouldn’t financially support Planned Parenthood even though his callers were saying that they only support Planned Parenthood for the other good things that they do. I really want to go back to school, and my other Catholic friends seem to not have the same issue (maybe because they just didn’t know), and I honestly don’t want to have to pay a lot of money and have to go out of state just to attend a good Catholic college, but on the other hand if God is calling me not to go back then I won’t go back to school. Any thoughts?

 

[adamhovey1988]

I want to go and get some kind of degree. I got very sick and now they keep saying I owe them a lot more money than I do. This is not from a Catholic college, but if I didn’t get that straightened out, it might be hard for me to go to ANY college. I know it’s tough.

 

[Xanthippe_Voorhees]

You might try an online school that doesn’t require a fee. If you go for that, make sure it’s not for profit.

Also, the health fee typically goes to the health center, not to something like Planned Parenthood.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Do you pay taxes? If so, some portion of your taxes likely goes to support things that you/ many Catholics/ the Church consider immoral, while some portion also probably supports things that you/ Catholics/ the Church consider important, moral, and necessary.

Do you have an employer that withholds from your paycheck to pay for an insurance plan? If so, then some of that money may well be going to support someone else’s medical expenses that you/ many Catholics/ the Church would consider immoral, as well as things that you/ Catholics/ the Church would consider important and necessary.

As you go through life, you are going to have a hard time avoiding all these types of situations where money you pay into a fund for some general public use may end up used in a good way or a bad way. You would likely need to engage in some kind of living off the grid or protest that might get you punished, to avoid all questionable expenditures. You might also incur significant expenses, for example going to a school out of state, or quitting your job to take a much lower paying one that does not involve the dilemma. If you choose to undergo these hardships, that is your choice. But I doubt that God requires one to do this.

When Jesus said “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s”, he didn’t do a cost breakdown of what percentage of tax payment Caesar was using for moral and immoral purposes and subtract the immoral sum, or tell his followers not to pay taxes because Caesar undoubtedly used some of the money for immoral purposes. Jesus paid the tax.

 

[GratefulFred]

We married at 20. First daughter at 22. My wife earned her degree at age 34. I at age 44. the semester before our first daughter earned her degree. I had a great 2nd career that ended at age 69.

GO BACK TO SCHOOL. The future holds work and people you can influence in positive ways and you should earn more to provide for you and family and a better retirement too.

As for the health fee - we are obliged to pay taxes that are use for things that are good and things that are not good. We have no choice. Same with a medical fee or insurance where you have no choice. Because paying is NOT a decision you would make, I do not see how paying it would be a sin.

 

[_Catholicism]

Thank you guys, I appreciate you all for taking the time to answer my question. All of your posts do make sense, especially with the whole Jesus and Caesar thing, and you guys are right. All of this time putting off college was surely a hardship for me, but after this I’ll look into going back. Although I also don’t want to just go with the flow, turn my eyes away from those injustices, and do nothing about our current system. I want to be able to do something to change those policies as a college student and afterwards. So please pray for me, and for all of us, that we don’t become indifferent to this and that we’ll find the means to change things for the better. And keep also those who are struggling to go back to college in prayer including Adamhovey1988. I’ll definitely keep you in my prayers. And if you guys have any ideas on what kind of things I can do to accomplish that, please let me know. I would gladly take them into account.